Post-Punk, Shoegaze and Dark Synthwave from New Zealand
Stars and the Underground is the musical project of Auckland, New Zealand based singer songwriter John Mason.
Formed in 2019, the band has released an EP "Evolution Circle" and two singles to date, "Nosferatu Upon Tyne" (2020) and "Lonely Black Hearts" (2025) both to critical acclaim.
Now a new single "Echolocation" featuring Hannah Berry (Talmar) on vocals (2026) has been released. The band is also currently working on their debut album "Guardians of the Night" to be released in 2027.
The band has performed live in New Zealand and Australia with a variety of line ups and guest musicians.
The current line up is John Mason (Vocals/Guitar - ex Winterland circa 1999) and John McDermott (Drums & Production - ex Headless Chickens).
Stars and the Underground's music is a blend of Post-Punk, Shoegaze and Dark Synthwave with our own ethereal and gritty textures with a "Kiwi" flavour.
"Echolocation is, without a doubt, an immersive, ethereal, and atmospheric sonic journey, where coldness and emotion coexist in perfect tension."
-Ignacio, Indie Valley Music"Dark Soulful Post Punk from New Zealand…"
— Mick Mercer (UK), the longest running Goth and Post-Punk writer in the world."Moody, atmospheric textured landscapes of sound which wash out like smooth rolling waves…"
— Rev Orange Peel, 13thfloor.co.nz"Stars and the Underground conjure a dark synthwave and shoegaze sound that drifts like cathedral smoke and sways like twilight on the tide. Guitars chime and shimmer with celestial clarity, while basslines brood beneath, steady as sleepwalks. Vocals echo like lost prayers, half-whispered, half-resolved. Drawing from the same windswept well as The Church and The Mission, they summon atmosphere over aggression, beauty over bombast, mood over momentum…"
— Alice Teeple, Post-Punk.com"After a two-year silence, Stars and the Underground are back—louder, darker, and more cinematic than ever. Their new single 'Lonely Black Hearts' marks the first taste of their upcoming album Guardians of the Night, a brooding blend of post-punk, synthwave, and shoegaze that's already turning heads internationally…"
— Nick, EmptySpaces.co.nzSingle • Released May 22nd, 2026
Tracklist:
1. Echolocation
Performed By:
Hannah Berry (Talmar) - Vocals
John Mason - Vocals/Guitars
John McDermott - Drums
Recorded and Mixed and Mastered By:
John McDermott @ Arch Hill Studios, Auckland
Single • Released April 1st, 2025
Tracklist:
1. Lonely Black Hearts
2. Lonely Black Hearts (Robots In Love Remix)
3. Lonely Black Hearts (Action Ant Remix)
Performed By:
John Mason - Vocals/Guitars
John McDermott - Drums
Recorded and Mixed and Mastered By:
John McDermott @ Arch Hill Studios, Auckland
Remixes by:
Elenor Rayner (Robots In Love)
Ant Banister (Sounds Like Winter/Sequential Zero)
Single • Released August 12, 2020
Tracklist:
1. Nosferatu Upon Tyne
2. Nosferatu Upon Tyne (Robots In Love Remix)
Performed By:
John Mason - Vocals/Guitars
Sean O'Kane Connolly - Keyboards/Vocals
Cat Veen - Keyboards/Vocals
Ario Kimber Manufui - Bass/Vocals
John McDermott - Drums
Recorded and Mixed By:
John McDermott @ Arch Hill Studios, Auckland
Mastered By:
Simon Polinski @ Hesius Dome, Melbourne
Included on: UnObscured Comp Vol 2 2020
EP • Released June 1, 2019
Tracklist:
1. Echolocation
2. Have a Heart
3. Twilight by Design
4. Quiet Remix (By Ashes the Condition)
Written & Performed By:
John Mason - Vocals/Guitars/Programming
Sean O'Kane Connolly - Keyboards/Vocals
Mark Wallbank - Keyboards/Samples
Mixed By:
Darryn Harkness
Produced By:
Stars and the Underground & Darryn Harkness
Words and Music:
John Mason
Keyboard Arrangements:
Sean O'Kane Connolly and Mark Wallbank
Quiet Remix by:
Carlos Antonio (Ashes The Condition)
Second single off the album Guardians of the Night
First single off the album Guardians of the Night